DE Oracle @ UMUC

Using WebTycho to Enhance F2F Classes

CSI Staff

Staff Writer

Center for Support of Instruction

Category: » Online-pedagogy » Teaching-strategies

UMUC made a commitment in 2000 to provide a WebTycho online classroom to every face-to-face (F2F) class, and asked all its faculty to find ways to use the online classroom to enhance their F2F classes. The principle reasons for this commitment were to 

• enable all students to have ready access to online resources (e.g., UMUC's library resources), and to
• promote information literacy for all students.

Both the Graduate School and the School of Undergraduate Studies are requiring faculty teaching face to face classes to use the WebTycho classroom provided to them, at a minumum to provide their students

• the course syllabus and schedule online
• weekly announcements
• grades for all assignments in the online gradebook, updated throughout the term

This page provides a reference for faculty in use of their assigned WebTycho classrooms to enhance their face-to-face classes.

• On-site classes; WebTycho acccess dates
• Expectations for Web-enhancement  
• Substituting online for on-site sessions
• Weekly use of WebTycho enhancement
• Technical support for Web-enhancement

On-Site Classes and WebTycho Access Dates

All on-site UMUC classes are provided with online WebTycho "classrooms" to be used by faculty to enhance their face-to-face class materials and activities.

Faculty access to WebTycho components. Faculty are generally able to access their online (WebTycho) classroom components within 24-48 hours of being officially staffed for their sections, assuming the online component has been created; this occurs by 4 weeks (28 days) before the official start date of the class. The instructor may then access the online classroom components by logging in at http://tychousa.umuc.edu, then selecting the link to the class from the WebTycho Classes menu.

Student access to WebTycho components. Students are able to access the shell of the WebTycho components of their courses within a day of registering; they see the announcement area, the faculty name/email link, and the link to the instructor's biography. The full WebTycho class menu (and therefore any content placed there) becomes accessible to students 7 days before the scheduled first day of their individual on-site classes.

UMUC's on-site class start dates vary.  Please visit MyUMUC to confirm your class dates.

Instructors or students who have difficulty accessing the WebTycho class should contact UMUC360 at 888-360-UMUC (8682) or 301-985-6710 or UMUC360 they are there to assist and can be reached 24/7.

Expectations for Web-Enhancement

As noted above, at a minimum, all faculty are expected to use their online WebTycho components to

• provide the course syllabus and class schedule in the online class space
• update class announcements online at least weekly
• provide grades online for all assignments as they are graded, updated in a timely manner throughout the term

Faculty are strongly encouraged to be thoughtful and creative in their use of the WebTycho component and its features. Use WebTycho to

• provide lecture notes and supplementary materials
• access UMUC's online library resources
• link to relevant websites
• complete discussions interrupted by the "class bell"
• give study groups a place to share materials and asynchronous discussions
• use the email function in WebTycho to contact all class members readily, especially in case of emergency cancellation of class (combined with a class announcement)

Because students have access to the online classroom well before the official first day of class, faculty should provide a welcoming class announcement with a reminder of the location/time of the first class meeting, and a biography in their WebTycho classrooms, as soon as they themselves have access to do so.

Instructors should make the course syllabus available by one week before class starts. The syllabus and class schedule may be posted within the class menu of the WebTycho classroom, via "Faculty Center," in either Syllabus or Course Content — as pasted text, as attached file(s), or linked to a webpage.

For an quick overview of what items should be entered into WebTycho before the start of the semester, please refer to the checklist page.

Weekly Use of WebTycho-Enhanced Classroom

Both the Graduate School and the School of Undergraduate Studies expects instructors of face-to-face classes to use their online WebTycho enhancements on a weekly basis.

There are both practical and philosophical reasons for this request. UMUC is committed to fostering technological literacy in all of its students, as well as to providing them with every possible tool to convenience their access to learning. The online classroom offers many potential benefits to augment the traditional face-to-face classroom.

Weekly use of the WebTycho classroom may be as simple or complex as faculty wish. Some examples follow. Those faculty who have little or no experience using WebTycho should plan to attend a workshop as available, and contact their CSI Instructional Support Specialist.

10 Ways to Use WebTycho to Enhance a Face-to-Face Class

1. Post Syllabus, Schedule, and class "housekeeping" information in lieu of first-day handouts (along with an announcement and/or email before the class session informing students where these materials are available). These remain in class as a reference and permanent record.
   
   Faculty may post a standard "Read Me First" webpage link as part of their class housekeeping information: http://info.umuc.edu/de/faculty/rmf/. (Information on this page is updated as needed by the Instructional Support Specialist.)
2. Post initial and weekly or biweekly announcements in lieu of or in addition to making them in the on-site class. Regular announcements are an aide to communication when students are unable to attend class or when class cannot be held, as well contributing to the class record.
3. Post weekly lecture notes, powerpoint slides, exam answers, in Course Content for the benefit of students unable to attend class as well as to facilitate student review and organization of materials. Materials posted before class for student preview can enhance the quality of discussions; those posted after class can clarify points of confusion or provide additional resources in response to student questions in class.
4. Ask librarians to post journal articles in "Reserved Readings" area (electronic reserves) in lieu of photocopying and hand-carrying handouts.
5. Use WebTycho's Library link to give students easy access to UMUC's online databases of journal and newspaper articles, as well as to UMUC librarians for direct assistance.
6. Use Webliography to point students to supplemental materials available on the Web, as well as to allow students to easily share pertinent websites they find on their own.
7. Use the Conference area to build class community via student introductions, allow the class to carry on class discussions cut short by "the bell," encourage shy students to participate, answer student questions for the record, etc.
8. Use Study Group areas to facilitate group work outside of face-to-face meetings.
9. Use te Class Members email function to easily email students via a prepared email list.
10. Use WebTycho Gradebook (Assignment Folder) area for students to turn in date-stamped homework and keep a record of their grades.

Thoughts from Colleagues

For thoughts from UMUC instructors and program directors on using WebTycho to enhance a face-to-face class, please see the following:

• Using WebTycho to Enhance a F2F Class
• Perspectives on Enhancing a Course Through the Web
• Faculty Perspectives on Using WebTycho to Enhance a Face-to-Face Class

Substituting Online for On-Site Sessions

Faculty have considerable latitude in determining their own use plans for their WebTycho classrooms. However, where instructors wish to substitute an online session for a face-to-face session, they should

• Clear this with their program directors, at least verbally
• Ensure that their students clearly understand the plans and are both prepared for and supported in (by the instructor and/or fellow students) their use of the online classroom
• Listen to and respect student concerns and provide alternatives as necessary
• Ensure that the reason for scheduling an online session is clear and functional: e.g.,
  • a take-home-type exam may be submitted online rather than in person
  • a particular session lends itself well to online discussion
  • groups need focused time for group project work/research
  • weather or events that affect commuting/parking make a f2f session impractical

Technical Support for Web-Enhancement

In addition to using the resources of the DE Oracle @ UMUC , the WebTycho Faculty Guide, and WebTycho Support Services, faculty may request technical assistance from an Instructional Support Specialist in the Center for Support of Instruction assigned to their department or program. They may also request to be rostered as a visitor into a colleague's WebTycho classroom to observe use of WebTycho to enhance a class.